A pint of milk certainly doesn’t seem like a lot, so I wonder why they delivered such a small size. In our house we go through three large Costco bottles a week. (These are the rectangular four-liter bottles that Costco fills with only one US gallon.)
Carleton From: owner-u...@colostate.edu [mailto:owner-u...@colostate.edu] On Behalf Of Ken Cooper Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 10:46 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:43408] Re: USC units spread to the UK - and no-one notices! Along with practically every other specified quantity, milk package sizes are being deregulated in the UK on 11th April. http://www.nwml.gov.uk/fileuploads/Docs/Legislation/SFQ/Government_Response_on_Specified_Quantities_for_Pre-packages_Jan_09.pdf and http://www.nwml.gov.uk/fileuploads/Docs/Legislation/SFQ/Guidance_for_Business_on_Specified_Quantities_for_Pre-packages_Jan_09.pdf To be honest, I expect the packers who currently use returnable containers to continue to use the same bottles. I would point out, however, that this sector has been in decline for many years. Here's the Office of Fair Trading's viewpoint on the sector:- "Doorstep delivery has declined for a number of years, while the retail supply of milk has increased. For example, the rate of doorstep decline was 19 per cent for the 12 weeks to 29 February 2004 according to TNS Superpanel data. This would suggest that switching from doorstep to other forms of supply has taken place, and since these changes appear to continue, that such switching would remain a competitive constraint on doorstep deliveries.." I would further point out that milk in returnable containers is not available anywhere in my locality. The last local deliveryman went out of business nearly 10 years ago. The vast majority of milk sold in the UK is packed in metric measure in non-returnable containers. Some of the prescribed measures used are the metric equivalent of imperial measures, but the milk is packed by reference to metric measure. Reading previous postings to this site might lead you to believe that all UK milk is sold in imperial measure, but this impression has been fostered by careful use of half-truths. For example, "Fresh'n'Lo" & "Cravendale" advertise extensively in the UK. Both these companies sell in rounded metric amounts. As far as I am aware, Cravendale use 1 litre & 2 litre non-returnable plastic containers only. Fresh'n'lo use similar 1, 2 & 3 litre containers, and also do a 500ml waxed cardbard pack. Neither firm produce "rounded imperial" packages. There are many other firms (including major supermarket chains) that already pack in rounded metric quantities. Remember that current UK law permits the following prescribed quantities 189 – 200 – 250 – 284 – 500 – 750 – multiples of 284 and 500. Exempt: 50 ml or less. Its only the highly misleading half-truths perpetuated by extreme pro-imps that has led to the mistaken belief that UK milk production is in imperial. The vast majority is packed in metric, and some (probably a good majority) is marked in both systems. The packages that are marked in both systems are ALWAYS measured in metric. I don't really see the abolition of prescribed quantities changing this, but will be interested to see the effect of the law changes on the status of the pint for draught beer & milk in returnable containers. The new regulations will be published in the near future. --- On Sat, 3/7/09, Jeremiah MacGregor <jeremiahmacgre...@rocketmail.com> wrote: From: Jeremiah MacGregor <jeremiahmacgre...@rocketmail.com> Subject: Re: [USMA:43383] Re: USC units spread to the UK - and no-one notices! To: k_cooper1...@yahoo.com, "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu> Date: Saturday, March 7, 2009, 4:37 AM Ken, Are you telling us that in April the requirement to use the pint for returnable milk containers will be no longer? Even though I don't expect those who still use the 568 mL size to go to other sizes over night, would you expect that over time there could be a gradual shift to the 500 mL (or other size) container? Jerry _____ From: Ken Cooper <k_cooper1...@yahoo.com> To: U.S. Metric Association <usma@colostate.edu> Sent: Friday, March 6, 2009 7:53:15 PM Subject: [USMA:43383] Re: USC units spread to the UK - and no-one notices! Well Steve, you might as well mention the "pint" as a UK measure for all these products for one last time! Have you "forgotten" that the majority of prescibed quantities (apart from draught beer) are being abolished in April? That's odd, because I've definitely pointed it out to you......... I fail to see your point regarding baby food & liquid fuel. Both are sold by reference to metric measure in the UK. I can provide references to legislation or to practical examples if you want. Is your reference to "descriptively" just meant to be an admission that they are not used for quantitative terms? I will agree that a few UK pubs defy UK law by describing soft drinks by the half pint. So what? Is it common? Do the pubs that do it subscribe to the views of yourself or other anti-metric zealots? Do you consider this to be a demand to return to outdated measurement units? I would love to see your proof that fl. oz. are common meaures in UK pubs, however. As far as I'm aware, that stopped in 1996. That's 13 years ago! Please expand upon your theories! But yes. On one point you are right. The UK doesn't tend to use the quart. Especially the 946ml quart. It has never existed in the UK. But the 1.136 litre milk bottle has NEVER been marked as a quart in the UK within my memory. That's because imperial doesn't tend to be marked in the UK any more. And if it is, it doesn't tend to be quarts or fl oz. I'll look forward to your reply :):):) --- On Fri, 3/6/09, Stephen Humphreys <barkatf...@hotmail.com> wrote: From: Stephen Humphreys <barkatf...@hotmail.com> Subject: [USMA:43369] Re: USC units spread to the UK - and no-one notices! To: "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu> Date: Friday, March 6, 2009, 11:48 PM Except for pints of milk, beer and pints used descriptively. Fl Oz in recipes, baby drink preps gallons in miles per gallon. Fl Oz for soft drinks at the pub We don't tend to use quarts though -maybe that's where you're entire argument rests. _____ Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 15:41:05 -0800 From: jeremiahmacgre...@rocketmail.com Subject: [USMA:43367] Re: USC units spread to the UK - and no-one notices! To: usma@colostate.edu My guess is that it is provided for the American tourists. Most Americans don't know a British version exists and those who are British don't need imperial conversions as they are already fully conversant in metric... As you already know British volume measures (except for the pint in limited applications) are dead. Jerry _____ From: Ken Cooper <k_cooper1...@yahoo.com> To: U.S. Metric Association <usma@colostate.edu> Sent: Monday, March 2, 2009 5:39:35 PM Subject: [USMA:43336] USC units spread to the UK - and no-one notices! One of my local hotels hands out small diaries as new year gifts to customers/visitors etc. I note that this year's version has a section entitled "conversions" underneath the time-zones map. I was intrigued to note that it had different sections for dry & for liquid measure, and that the liquid measure gave conversions for fluid ounce, quart & gallon - but not for pint. On closer examination, I found that the fluid ounce was defined as 29 and a bit millilitres, the quart as ~946ml & the gallon as ~3.79 litres.... Now, as everyone knows, these figures would be correct in USC, but are all incorrect in UK imperial. I'll lay odds that practically no-one actually noticed though. Can I suggest that this shows the irrelevancy of imperial liquid measure in the UK? People recognise an imperial pint in the pub, but appear to be unable to relate it to the smaller (fl. oz.) & larger (gallon) measures in the system. What point is there in perpetuating a system where the majority of people don't understand it any more? _____ Share your photos with Windows Live Photos – Free. Try <http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/134665338/direct/01/> it Now!
